CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9.
The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.
First, we will be confronted with various situations and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.
Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as:
Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”.
IN CONTEXT=
Romans 10:9-13, For Moses writes of the righteousness that is based on the Law, that the person who performs them will live by them. But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”, that is, the word of faith which we are preaching,
that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:
If I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved.
Commentary:
It is both interesting and important the phrase “that if you confess” with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” is found to be in the “aorist” tense. This means it is an active truth taking place in the past, the present and the future, simultaneously. In other words, as I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, “I have been saved; I am being saved; I will continue to be saved”!
This is an eternal truth, active and powerful in the believer’s life. It is good to confess it often, and to believe it completely.
Meditate on it. Think on it. Put it in your heart. Set your mind on it. Keep it with you. Do it right, and live!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
NEXT: CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – Do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, `but the root supports you. Romans 11:18.
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